Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Steiner OTAL-C IR Offset Aiming Laser, Infrared Laser
The otal-c IR offset aiming laser from Steiner optics is a low-profile, lightweight device designed for the M-4 platform for confident target acquisition. It features a class IA, eye-safe 850nm Infrared aiming laser with a max range 273 yards when used with night vision devices. Low-profile windage and elevation dials allows users to zero-in and perform shot corrections easily while reducing potential snag points and preventing accidental adjustments. A rear-facing toggle switch turns the unit on and off, and a remote pressure pad switch is included so the user can activate the OTAL while remaining in the firing position.
Rifle Scope Product Features
About this item
Fully adjustable windage and elevation
Push-button or remote cable pad Activation
Quick release ht mount
Momentary or constant on Operation
Powered by one AA Battery
About the Steiner Brand
Steiner is a premium maker for weapon scopes, optics, mounts, and other accessories used for firearms like rifles and long guns. They design and make their scopes, mounts, and related products by applying elements which are resilient and long lasting. This includes the Steiner OTAL-C IR Offset Aiming Laser, Infrared Laser by Steiner. For more shooting goods, visit their site.
Rifle Scope Info
Rifle scopes enable you to exactly align a rifle at various targets by lining up your eye with the target over a distance. They do this through zoom by employing a series of lenses within the scope. The scope’s alignment can be adjusted to take into account many ecological considerations like wind and elevation decreases to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to understand exactly where the bullet will land based on the sight picture you are viewing via the optic as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the target. Most modern-day rifle optics have about eleven parts which are arranged within and on the exterior of the scope body. These optic pieces consist of the rifle scope’s body, lenses, modification dials or turrets, objective focus rings, and other elements. Learn about the eleven parts of optics.
Rifle Scope Types
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Deciding on the best type of rifle glass is based around what type of shooting you plan on doing.
About First Focal Plane Optics
Focal plane scopes (FFP) include the reticle in front of the magnification lens. These styles of scopes are useful for:
- Quick acquisition, long distance types of shooting
- Shooting circumstances where calculations are very little
- Experienced shooters who have an idea for their target “hold over” plus “lead” equations for their long guns
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is enlarged and uses up more visual sight area than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Optics
Second focal plane scopes (SFP) include the reticle to the rear of the zoom lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” 100 yard tick would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick measurement.
- Far away forms of shooting where shooters have additional time to make ballistic calculations
- Shooting where most shots occur within much shorter distances and ranges
- Shooters who like a clearer optic sight picture with less area used up by the enlarged FFP reticle
Magnification for Rifle Optics
The quantity of scope zoom you need on your optic depends on the form of shooting you like to do. Just about every style of rifle optic offers some level of zoom. The volume of magnification a scope delivers is established by the size, density, and curves of the lens glass inside of the rifle scope. The magnification of the scope is the “power” of the scope. This signifies what the shooter is observing through the scope is magnified times the power factor of what can usually be seen by human eyes.
Info About Single Power Lens Glass
A single power rifle optic uses a zoom number designator like 4×32. This means the magnification power of the scope is 4x power and the objective lens is 32mm. The magnification of this kind of scope can not change given that it is a fixed power scope.
Adjustable Power Lens Rifle Optics
Variable power rifle scopes can be modified between magnified settings. The power adjustment is accomplished using the power ring part of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Power Levels and Range
Here are some suggested scope powers and the ranges where they could be successfully used. High power optics will not be as effective as lower powered glass because too much zoom can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The same concept relates to extended ranges where the shooter needs sufficient power to see where to best aim the rifle at the target.
Lens Coating for Rifle Scopes
All top of the line rifle optic lenses are layered. Lens finish is an important element of a rifle system when looking into high end rifle optics and scope systems.
HD Versus ED Rifle Optic Lens Coatings
Some rifle glass makers will also use “HD” or high-definition lense finishings which make the most of various procedures, components, rare earth compounds, and polarizations to draw out different color ranges and viewable target visibility through the lens. This HD coating is often used with increased density glass which brings down light’s chance to refract by means of the lens glass. Some scope corporations use “HD” to refer to “ED” indicating extra-low dispersion glass. ED handles how certain colors are presented on the chroma spectrum and the chromatic deviance or aberration which is similarly called color distortion or fringing. Chromatic aberration may be obvious over objects with hard outlines as light hits the object from particular angles.
Glass Lens Single Finish Versus Multi-Coating
Various optic lenses can also have different finishes applied to them. All lenses typically have at least some type of treatment or finish applied to them prior to being used in a rifle scope or optic assembly. Since the lens isn’t just a raw piece of glass, they require performance enhancing coatings. It is part of the carefully tuned optic. It requires a coating to be applied to it so that the lens will be efficiently usable in lots of kinds of environments, degrees of sunlight (full VS shade), and other shooting conditions.
This lens treatment can safeguard the lens from scratches while decreasing glare and other less helpful things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single covered lens depends on the scope manufacturer and how much you paid for it.
Some scope manufacturers also make it a point to specify if their optic lenses are coated or “multi” coated. This indicates the lens has numerous treatments applied to the surfaces of the glass. If a lens receives several treatments, it can establish that a manufacturer is taking multiple actions to combat various natural factors like an anti-glare coating, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion finishing, followed by a hydrophilic covering. This also does not always imply the multi-coated lens will perform much better than a single layered lens. Being “better” is dependent on the manufacturer’s lens treatment technology and the quality of products used in constructing the rifle optic.
Info on Hydrophobic Finish
Water on a lens doesn’t assist with keeping a clear sight picture through a scope at all. Lots of top of the line and military grade optic makers will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic coating.
Optic Installation Alternatives
Mounting solutions for scopes can be found in a few choices. There are the basic scope rings which are separately installed to the optic and one-piece scope mounts which cradle the scope. These various kinds of mounts also generally come in quick release variations which use throw levers which permit rifle shooters to quickly install and dismount the optics.
Hex Key Rifle Scope Rings
Standard, clamp style mounting scope rings use hex head screws to mount to the flattop style Picatinny scope mount rails on rifles. These types of scope mounts use a couple of separate rings to support the optic, and are made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are developed for long distance precision shooting. This type of scope mount is fine for rifles which require a resilient, rock solid mount which will not move no matter how much the scope is moved or abused.
Scope Mounts with Quick-Release Cantilever Rings
These kinds of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly attach and detach a scope from a rifle. If they all use a comparable design mount, multiple scopes can also be switched on the range. The quick detach mount style is CNC machined from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers attach tightly to a flat top design Picatinny rail. This enables the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, taken off of the rifle, and remounted while preserving precision. These kinds of mounts are useful and beneficial for rifles which are transported a lot, to take off the glass from the rifle for protection, or for scopes which are chosen for use between multiple rifles. An example of this mount type is the 30mm mount designed by Vortex Optics. It generally costs around $250 USD
What to Know About Rifle Optic Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle optic can ruin a day on the range and your expensive optic by inducing fogging and producing residue within the scope tube. A lot of optics prevent wetness from going into the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant. Generally, these water resistant optics can be immersed under 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can push moisture past the O-rings. This should be plenty of moisture prevention for standard use rifles, unless you intend on taking your rifle on your motorboat and are worried about the optic still functioning if it goes over the side and you can still salvage the firearm.
Glass Gas Purging
Another part of preventing the buildup of wetness within the rifle optic tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Because this area is currently taken up by the gas, the scope is less altered by temperature level shifts and pressure differences from the outside environment which may possibly allow water vapor to permeate in around the seals to fill the vacuum which would otherwise exist. These are good qualities of a decent rifle scope to seek out.
